AGRICULTURE Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. expressed appreciation of the report on a sharp decline in food poverty in the country in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2025.
The latest Tugon ng Masa (TNM) Survey by OCTA Research showed Filipino families’ self-rated food poverty dropping to 30 percent from 49 percent in Q3.
The 19-percent reduction translates to 5 million families no longer considering themselves as food-poor, and marks one of the fastest improvements in the TNM survey series.
Tiu Laurel credited the impact of government efforts to sustain food supply and protect the welfare of both producers and consumers.
And despite the fact that Filipinos who experienced involuntary hunger in Q4 2025 rose to 16 percent from the previous 11 percent, Tiu Laurel cited OCTA’s report saying nearly 80 percent of the affected households experienced hunger only once or a few times, suggesting short-term or episodic food stress instead of chronic hunger.
“These results show that our programs are reaching Filipino families. We will continue to ensure consumers have access to affordable food with stable prices, while helping farmers, fisherfolk, and other food producers earn more,” said Tiu Laurel.
Analysts and economists previously credited the slowdown in the rise of food prices — as reported by the Philippine Statistics Authority — to government initiatives to stabilize supply and pricing, especially for rice.
One of these initiatives is the Benteng Bigas, Meron Na! (BBM Na!) program, which protects consumers from sudden price spikes while helping achieve increased productivity, reduced post-harvest losses, and greater access in markets for farmers and fisherfolk, Tiu Laurel noted.
Economists believe that maintaining these gains would require continuous support for production and price control.
Meanwhile, Tiu Laurel highlighted the rapid expansion of the government’s P20-per-kilogram (BBM Na!) rice program. The Department of Agriculture (DA) aims for the program to benefit 15 million households or 60 million individuals, by this yearend.
President Marcos had ordered the DA to sustain the program until the end of his term in June 2028.
Tiu Laurel also talked about the DA’s increased budget for the year, which he said will be used for farms and related infrastructure, such as farm-to-market roads, cold storage facilities, food hubs, deepwater ports, rice dryers, warehouses, and greenhouses to increase production, reduce food costs, and raise rural incomes.
